Device Troubleshooting FAQs

Potentially. Many devices are manufactured for a specific wireless carrier, however some are more universal than others. It is recommended that you stop into store, call, or chat with a customer service representative to determine support for your specific model. Model information can typically be found in the "About" menu, under the battery, or on the back of the phone.

You are now also able to verify if your device is supported at cellcom.com/byod

It is possible that you accidentally pressed a button and silenced your phone's ringer. Verify that the phone is not on silent mode. Make sure to try to power your phone down on a daily basis. Some amount of missed calls are a normal part of cellular. The following list includes some of the possible reasons that normal missed calls occur.

1. You could be in a poor coverage area.
2. If the phone is in a data session and picking up 1x signal, it will not receive voice calls.
3. At the time the call comes through, the phone is not getting a good signal.
4. A call was just placed or just received and it takes a small amount of time for the phone to reset for the next call. If a call comes through during this time, the phone will not ring.
5. The phone is searching for a signal.
6. The line does not have call waiting, and a call comes through.
7. There's a problem with one of the towers in the area.
8. The cell site the customer is on is at capacity.
9. There's something wrong with the phone. If most or all calls are missed, contact Cellcom Customer Care and/or bring the device in to get looked at.

If you are inside a building or structure, you may need to go near a window or outside. Sometimes, phones are unable to pick up a signal inside because of a building's architecture. If you are within the Cellcom Service Area where you normally receive service, you should be able to place a call. Try taking the battery out of the phone for a few seconds, then put the battery back in and power the phone back on. If the issue is still occurring, contact a Cellcom Customer Care and tell us where you are experiencing the problem. If you are outside of the Cellcom coverage area (roaming), your phone may be set to home only. Contact Cellcom Customer Care for instructions on how to check this.

If your phone has a user-removable battery, immediately remove the battery from your phone. The sooner you remove your battery, the better your chance is of restoring your phone's function. Gently shake out as much water as you can from the phone and then place the phone in a dry area to dry out. Let your phone dry for a few days. If your phone does not work after it is dry, you will probably need to replace it; your phone's manufacturer warranty does not cover the replacement of a phone that has been damaged by liquid or has other non-manufacturer defects. If you have wireless insurance and an approved claim, your phone will be replaced at an authorized Cellcom location. If you do not have insurance you will need to purchase another phone.

Some phones are water resistant. Your phone specifications will confirm this. Look for letters IP followed by two digits. These numbers will indicate how well the phone resists water. The higher the number the better the protection.

​​Your phone has been "hot lined"; in other words, you calls are being directed to Cellcom because of a billing issue. Work with a customer care representative to determine why this is occurring.

Visit cellcom.com/backup for information and resources.

​It is likely that the phone you're using is no longer being sold by Cellcom. However, we service all the phones that we have sold. To find out more information, you can visit the manufacturer's website or contact your local Cellcom retail or agent location. To take advantage of all the latest services and features that we offer, we would recommend you upgrade your phone to a newer model. Note that devices supplied by a different carrier are not covered.

​​If you are using the phone during a high phone usage period, the network could be busy and unable to complete your call. You should attempt your call again in a few minutes. A fast busy could occur if there were some sort of outage, if the call was being routed improperly, or due to trouble on the far end. If the fast busy signal only occurs when calling a specific #, try calling that # from a non-Cellcom phone. If you experience the issue on a non-Cellcom phone, the issue is not a Cellcom issue. If you don't have the problem on a non-Cellcom phone or you are unsure of the cause, call Cellcom Customer Care to report the issue.

If the recording only occurs when calling a specific number, try calling that number from a non-Cellcom phone. If you experience the issue on a non-Cellcom phone, the issue is not a Cellcom issue. If you only experience the problem on a Cellcom phone, make a note of actual recording. Contact a Cellcom Customer Care representative.

If you only hear static in certain areas, you could be in a poor reception area. If you hear static/noise whenever you use the phone and regardless of where you are, it could be damaged or defective and may need to be replaced. Bring your phone to any Cellcom location and our Repair Department will check the phone for you. We will provide a free loaner if your phone requires service. Other factors that can cause static are weather or other electrical interference.

Check to make sure the phone is not set to home only. This option is located in different locations, dependent upon phone model, but is generally found under network selection or system select menus. If you are unable to find this or if your phone is not set to home only and you still cannot make/receive calls, please call Cellcom Customer Care.

Ensure you are getting adequate signal and that "Airplane" mode is turned off. If signal strength is good, try powering your phone down for approximately one minute and then power the phone back on. Try browsing again. If you're still unable to browse, go into the browser select the "menu" option. Select "memory". Select "cache", then "history", then "cookies". Select "clear now". If none of these options work, please contact Cellcom Customer Care so the issue can be further researched.

Several issues could cause your phone to beep.

• Beeps can indicate that your battery is getting weak. Try charging the battery.
• You may have a new text or voicemail message you have not checked yet. Check for a message indicator on your phone.
• You may have a call waiting and someone else is trying to call you while you're already connected to a call.
• You may have a service alert. Several phones have alerts which will beep each minute you are on a call or will beep when you are in a roaming area. Many phones also have "minute minders" that will beep once per minute for the duration of a call. Contact Cellcom Customer Care to verify how to turn these options off.

When your phone keeps turning off, this usually means that your battery needs to be charged. If the problem persists even when the battery seems to be fully charged, we recommend you take your device to a Cellcom store or Cellcom Repair Center so we can have our technicians review your device.

There are several reasons why your phone may not turn on. The phone's battery may not have a strong enough charge to power the phone on. Try powering your phone up again after charging the battery.

Verify the phone charges when plugged into either the AC charger or cigarette lighter adapter. If the phone doesn't indicate the battery is charging, the problem could be a faulty charger or battery.

It is also possible that the battery contacts and/or the charging contacts need to be cleaned. Bring the phone and charger in to Cellcom for servicing.

Verify that the power button is being used to turn on the phone. Sometimes the wrong button is being pushed when trying to turn the phone on.

First, make sure that the charger is receiving power either from the wall A/C outlet or the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket. If the charger is receiving power, but it will not charge the phone, bring the phone, battery, and charger to a Cellcom location so that we can test the charger.

Several issues could cause your phone to not hold a charge.

If the phone is regularly in a low signal area, the battery will drain much quicker than when in a high signal area (check the signal strength bars on the phone).

If the phone says "charge complete" not very long after being plugged into the charger, it could indicate that the charger is not giving a correct charge to the battery (assuming the battery's charge was low before plugging it in).

Some phones have a setting for adjusting the timeout for the display. The device's display while on drains the battery. Check the owner's manual for your handset to see if it is possible to adjust the display timeout. Also keep in mind that when a person is typing a message, the display is on all of the time, so if you are a heavy text message user, the battery will drain much more quickly.

High usage of apps and streaming services will also drain your battery faster.

Some phones have a "battery save" feature. Turn this feature on to conserve battery power.

When a call is unintentionally disconnected it is referred to as a dropped call. Occasional dropped calls are common with cellular service. Cellular service uses radio waves to transmit a signal. Dropped calls may occur whenever the signal is interrupted. For example, dropped calls can occur when you are too far from a cell site, or you are in a hilly, low-lying or heavily forested area or you are inside your home or an office building, Check the signal strength indicator on your handset. If you drop a call while in a building, try moving near a window or even outside to see if you can get a stronger signal. If traveling, try placing the call when you have reached an area with a stronger signal. If you are frequently dropping calls all over, the issue may be due to a problem with the handset itself. If you have not had your handset checked within the last 3 months by our Repair Department, you may want to bring it in so we can check it out for you. Finally, if there has been a recent change in the number of dropped calls in a particular area, there may be a network service problem. Please call customer care and they will check it out for you.

​​Make sure you are in an area with a strong signal. If the signal is weak, you may experience problems when placing calls. Also, make sure the volume is turned up on your phone and the other party's phone. It is possible that you have placed the phone in "mute" status which deactivates the microphone on your phone, thus making it impossible for the other party to hear you. Check to make sure that the "Mute" is turned off. If the problem persists at various locations, you may have a defective phone. Please bring your phone to any Cellcom location and we will be happy to examine it. If your smartphone seems to randomly turn Mute on, you may have a screen protector that is interfering with the phone's proximity sensor.